'All the focus has been on cuts'

The government has unveiled its plans to reform incapacity benefit, which include the creation of a new unit to check on claimants to ensure they are still ill.

Under the proposals, those who refuse to participate in back-to-work schemes would have their benefits cut.

Incapacity benefit claimant Alan Dick, 49, from Cardonald in Glasgow, told the BBC Scotland news website of his concerns about some of the proposals.

I've lived with cerebral palsy and been a wheelchair user for all of my life. Over the years, my condition has deteriorated.

As it is, incapacity benefit isn't even enough to make ends meet. But the reforms are throwing up some things that I don't agree with.

I'm totally opposed to the scenario of being means tested yet again. It's a very stressful process. I'm against having to wait for a 12-week holding period until the government decides whether to increase or cut your benefit.

What am I, and other claimants, supposed to do within those 12 weeks? How are we supposed to pay bills? The stress that could create could mean an even higher rate of care package for some people that what is already in place. It's a vicious circle.

That we have to be re-assessed at all is a major concern. We've been there, done it, bought the t-shirt.

The government should target this more at people who genuinely don't require incapacity benefit and leave us, who are the easy targets, because they know we exist and that we've been on the benefit for years.

I think the government has thrown this together without really thinking it out.

I don't think the debate about incapacity benefit has been fair at all.

Someone like myself, with a genuine need, requires even more money than what we're already getting.

But all the emphasis has been on saving money and cost-cutting.